Churchill's eyes showed a hint of excitement, and he hurriedly asked, "Does Marshal Pound have any strategy?" ”

Faced with Churchill's expectant gaze, the aged First Sea Lord, Dudley? Pound did not have the relaxed and joyful look he imagined. His face was solemn, and he said slowly: "Although the sinking of the Fury is a great tragedy to be deplored, it has also sounded the alarm bell for the Royal Navy that shocks the heart. We had previously underestimated the difficulty of pursuing the German fleet, an enemy even more ferocious and formidable than the Grey Wolf Coru, whose carrier-based bombers were shockingly effective. Not to mention the USS Fury, even the George V-class battleships we are building will definitely not be able to withstand such a fierce air strike! ”

Pound's voice echoed through the room, causing all the senior officers to nod and whisper. The British Navy is not vague about the power of aerial bombs: after all, they were once the industry leader in aviation fighters, and a lot of experimental data has been collected on various bomb attacks on abandoned ships. Aerial bombs do not need to withstand the huge impact of ****** burning like artillery shells, and the body of the bomb is just a thin layer of special steel plates; This also means that it can be loaded with much more explosives than a cannonball, and the power of the explosion is not on the same level.

One of the most common 500-pound (227 kg) aerial bombs is equivalent to two 15-inch (381 mm) high-explosive shells weighing 879 kg, and if it is an armor-piercing projectile, it is five times more powerful. Therefore, even if the aerial bomb fails to penetrate the core compartment of the battleship, the explosion of so many explosives will cause extremely serious damage to other facilities. Not to mention anything else, as long as the aftermath of the explosion destroys the main rangefinder and the central fire control room, the combat effectiveness of this warship will basically be abolished!

Although aerial bombs have a unique advantage in power, they have always been a shortcoming of the British Navy in the way they are delivered: as long as the target is not a turtle ship with no anti-aircraft firepower, the British naval pilots who carry out horizontal bombing have no accuracy at all. It is for this reason that the British Navy has neglected the aircraft carrier, a weapon invented by themselves, and gradually faded and ignored the blows from the air in the paralysis of twenty years of peace.

Now, however, the Germans have solved the problem of bomb delivery by means of technological innovation and dive bombing by high-powered monoplanes, which immediately awakened the British Navy from the illusion of safety and felt a strong threat from the thorn in the back. It is true that the attendance of aircraft carrier-based aircraft will also be limited by time and weather conditions, and the British Navy, which has been mixed in the North Atlantic for so many years, knows this very well, but no commander will bet the fate of his fleet on uncertain luck.

"The most important thing to destroy this German fleet is to make it impossible for their carrier-based aircraft to take off first. As soon as the Germans lost their air cover, they were instantly turned into sheep to the slaughter, left to the ravages of our battleships. Pound's voice gradually increased, and he waved his arms a few times in the air, "Yes, it is true that the Harwood fleet was completely sunk by this fleet in the artillery battle, but they must have also suffered a heavy blow, and only one more punch can completely knock this enemy to the ground." Take 10,000 steps back and say, even if the German cruisers and destroyers are all intact, what about their ammunition consumption? Without shells, these German battleships, even if they were made of Mithril, could only be sunk by our warships one by one! ”

"But how can the attendance of German carrier-based aircraft be curbed? Although the North Atlantic is already cooler at this time, it is still at least a month away from the winter when harsh sea conditions are common. "In addition, even if the German carrier-based aircraft cannot be dispatched, it will be difficult for us to detect them in the ocean." ”

"Who said we were going to war with the Germans in the Atlantic?" Pound's eyes flashed, and he said coldly, "The northern part of the North Sea, adjacent to Norway, is the ideal place for us to destroy the German fleet!" In this almost year-round foggy sea, it was difficult for German carrier-based aircraft to be able to sort, and there were wounded ships in their fleet, which could not quickly pass through the Norwegian waterways, which were our unique advantages. As long as we redouble our vigilance over the 340 nautical miles wide east and west of the North Sea, there is a good chance of spotting the German fleet returning south. This may be our only chance to salvage the situation. ”

Churchill, who was sitting at the top, was suddenly shocked in his heart, and then suddenly brightened. Compared with searching for traces of the German fleet in the vast North Atlantic, it is obviously much easier to go to the North Sea, the port of the German fleet, and wait for the rabbit. The Germans, with many wounded ships in their fleet, would almost certainly choose to return, which made their own wait meaningful. Although the dense fog in the North Sea will also affect the vigilance effect of British warships, this is finally pointing out a clear way for himself to win and turn the tables!

Thousands of kilometers away in the vast ocean, Fang Yan, Bo Mei and others were also discussing their next move.

"Jonas, although the victory of sinking the Fury has dealt a severe blow to the arrogance of the British, and they have not dared to provoke us easily, the fleet still faces a serious challenge on the voyage home. What if the British concentrated their forces in the North Sea and blocked our return route? ”

After a series of previous battles, Bo Mei no longer has any reserves, and directly confided his worries to Fang Yanhe: "The visibility in the North Sea is less than 6 kilometers most of the time, which is not suitable for carrier-based aircraft to be dispatched at all, and this 340 nautical mile wide water area is the only way for us to return home, and the probability of being discovered by the British has skyrocketed." When the fleet sailed out of the North Sea, it was able to succeed at an average high speed of 28 knots, coupled with the unpreparedness of the British. Now in the fleet, neither the Blücher nor the Königsberg could run fast, and the time to cross the North Sea was almost doubled; And the escort force was much weaker than when it set sail, and there were only 10 destroyers left to rely on. What should we do if we encounter a British fleet on the way through the North Sea? ”

Fang Yan looked out of the glass window, and saw a slender warship equipped with 2 main turrets struggling to move forward in a **** state. Her superstructure was covered with scars from the smoke of gunfire, and the twisted and rolled bulkheads of the deck were shocking. The ship was the Königsberg, which had been the most wounded in the previous artillery battle, and not only had its deck washed by eight 203-mm semi-armor-piercing shells, but also had its internal hull severely damaged by one of the underwater shells. Although it did not penetrate the TDS defenses, the water ingress caused by the destruction of a large area of the outer compartment was enough for the 7,500-ton battleship to drink. In a way, the cruiser was in worse condition than the earlier Blücher, which had been mined: the latter had at least 13,200 tons of volume and enough fuel to support her return on her own.

In addition, the Karlsruhe Heavy Cruiser was also not lightly injured, and was filled with a total of 700 tons of seawater, but she was better than the Königsberg. The cruiser is also not at the top speed at the moment, and 27 knots is already her limit. Crucially, she and her two sister ships had consumed about two-thirds of their 210mm shells, leaving enough to support a medium-sized, low-intensity battle. If there were 4 more British cruisers, the probability of them sinking would definitely be more than 60%.

Fang Yan retracted his gaze and said with a serious expression: "Britain itself is geographically on the inner line of fleet dispatch. In addition, our fleet is currently slow, and it is indeed easy for them to deploy warships in the North Sea first. However, the British may not be able to prevent us from making our way back. ”

"In fact, there is only one weakness of our fleet, and that is that the wounded ships have slowed down the top speed of the fleet, leaving us exposed to British surface forces for a long time as we cross the Norwegian waterways. As long as we solve this problem, all difficulties can be solved: with the help of radar warnings and sea fog cover, we are fully capable of breaking through the British blockade and returning to Germany via Jutland. Fang Yan said.

Bo Mei frowned: "But this problem cannot be solved at all. Our damage management soldiers did their best, but many of the damage could not be repaired while in a sailing state. Fang Yan nodded and said, "There is indeed no way to repair the damage of the battleship at this time. Outside of Germany proper, however, there was a port where they could take shelter temporarily, thus freeing the fleet from the burden. Fang Yan flipped the chart to the east, where almost no one had ever looked at it, and then lightly touched the Arctic Circle, exhaled and said, "Russia, Murmansk." ”

According to a telegram from Wilhelmshaven on September 7, Germany had entered into a secret alliance with Soviet Russia, and if the situation required it, the submarine could go to Murmansk for refueling and replenishment. Since submarines can go, the battleship Russians should also receive it. Fang Yan's eyes showed a hint of complexity, as if he was a little unwilling, but he quickly weighed the pros and cons of doing so, and his heart gradually became firm. Although doing so will inevitably lead to Germany being slaughtered by the Soviet Union again, it is not so bad that Germany has already been hammered several times by Stalin at the negotiation table for the partition of Eastern Europe. Compared to being able to keep a valuable aircraft carrier, Fang Yan felt that it was completely acceptable to pay some price.

"This is a matter of politics between the two countries, and it is not something we can decide. If this is really necessary, I must also consult the Navy Headquarters first. Bo Mei said solemnly. Fang Yan frowned, didn't he take the initiative to send a telegram to expose the position of the fleet, but when he saw the bombers tethered on the deck of the aircraft carrier, a relieved smile quietly appeared on the corner of his mouth. (To be continued.) )